The present invention relates to an operating device for operating on-vehicle equipment such as on-automobile equipment. In particular, the present invention relates to an operating device having operating switches provided in a steering part, such as a steering wheel.
As for on-vehicle equipment such as on-automobile equipment, on-vehicle devices such as an audio device, a car navigation device, and an information terminal can be mentioned besides accessory devices such as a brake, an accelerator or a power window. Typically, foot-depressed pedals are used in operating devices such as the brake and accelerator. In operating devices for on-vehicle devices, operating switches and hand screws such as knobs attached to respective on-vehicle devices are mainly used.
For example, in JP-A-2003-140810, a haptic controller including a control provided with feeling of click or feeling of resistance according to an operating state such as a rotation quantity or a rotation direction in order to make feeling of the operating part favorable and make operation positive even in the case where the vibration of the vehicle body is large is proposed as an operating device for on-vehicle equipment.
In JP-A-09-297629, it is also proposed to mount an information terminal, such as a personal computer, on a vehicle and attach an input device, such as a keyboard, for operating the information terminal to a steering wheel.
In JP-A-09-058426, it is proposed to provide a grip-type steering wheel brake switch on a steering wheel and activate a brake according to grasping power of hand fingers of a driver who grasps the steering wheel. Specifically, in the provided steering wheel brake switch, a lever is displaced according to grasping power of the driver and a resistance value of a variable resistor is changed according to the movement of the lever. Brake force is controlled according to a value of a current that flows through the variable resistor. It is said that owing to this configuration an idle running distance corresponding to a time period required for the driver to shift a foot from an accelerator pedal to a brake pedal can be shortened at the time of, for example, full braking.